


Everything Happens

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Night Court
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-17
Updated: 2004-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1624913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after the show ends, circumstances bring Harry and Dan together again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything Happens

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Arduinna

 

 

 _'Everything Happens to Me'_ \- Mel Torme

It was ten minutes to showtime. Robe on straight, Groucho glasses on, Harry took one final swig of his cooling coffee before heading out of his office. Four paces across the hall to the courtroom door, a short dash he'd made thousands of times, only this time his path was suddenly and violently blocked by a moving object. Harry was saved from tumbling gracelessly to the floor by a pair of strong arms, and a deep voice uttered a hasty, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Honor," in his ear as he was steadied.

It was a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in a long while. The man from whom it had originated was now staring at him, his apologetic expression quickly being replaced by a sardonic grin.

"Judge Stone."

"Hi, Dan."

"Still working this shift, I take it?"

If that was pity in his old friend's tone, Harry chose to ignore it. "That's right," he said mildly. "And it begins in --" he checked his watch "-- about thirty seconds, so I'm going to have to hit and run."

Dan's eyes raked over him, lingering on his 'costume'. "Yes, I mustn't keep you from your center ring," he said, gesturing grandly towards the courtroom.

Harry felt a twinge of annoyance. "Take it easy, Dan," he said, pulling the glasses from his face and pushing past the other man, taking a second to compose himself before stalking into the courtroom.

The bailiff, Jorge, announced him, defendants were presented, witnesses questioned, and he sat through it all on autopilot. He shouldn't have let Dan's needling get to him; after all, they hadn't spoken more than a dozen words to each other in the almost six years since they'd stopped working together. And while in those days he'd considered Dan a friend -- a close friend -- well, things changed. People changed.

He looked around at his latest batch of colleagues. Jorge was a good, steady bailiff, but he always struck Harry as being, well, a bit too short. His clerk, too young and energetic. His public defendant too surly. And his prosecutor was a large, awkward woman who argued cases with a passion that seemed incongruent with her seemingly timid and quiet demeanor.

They were all good people, intelligent, fine workers. But they weren't.... But they weren't.

He was pronouncing sentence on what seemed like the hundredth case of the evening when he heard a slight commotion at the door to his right. He stared at the penguin as it waddled past the bench, past the equally flabbergasted lawyers, down the aisle and out the rear door. Then he blinked for a moment, and sighed.

"I guess now's as good a time as any for a recess," he announced, banging his gavel down a bit more forcefully than was strictly necessary.

The room cleared and Harry briefly considered going to get himself something to eat, but that would mean going in the direction the penguin had gone; while he'd definitely seen stranger things in his time at the night court, there was no sense in tempting fate. Instead, he headed for his office.

This time, he narrowly avoided actually crashing into Dan in the hallway.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he said mildly.

Dan had the grace to look sheepish. "Harry -- Look, I'm sorry about before. I was out of line."

"Already forgotten," Harry assured him. "In fact, I was just thinking about old times."

Some unknown emotion flashed briefly in Dan's eyes. "Old times."

"Are you okay?"

Dan's expression tightened. "Never better," he stated. "I was just.... I just got out of a meeting with Judge Miller; I have a couple of things on my mind."

"Miller?" Harry asked, surprised. "He's here awfully late."

"Yeah, well, time and the Justice system wait for no one," Dan said, then looked down at his watch. "And neither does Marielle."

"Marielle?"

Dan leered. "You know that new Victoria's Secret billboard across the street?"

Boy, did he ever. "That's Marielle?"

Dan's grin widened. "Marielle's her body double." And with a truly lecherous waggle of his eyebrows, Dan started down the hall, tossing a jaunty wave over his shoulder.

Harry suppressed a chuckle. Times changed, people changed, but some things remained constant. Feeling a little more cheerful, Harry headed back to work.

***************

"To Christine!"

Harry added his voice to the crowd's and raised his champagne glass in a toast to the newly elected Senator. Amidst the flash and dazzle of the packed room, Christine stood out, her smile as bright and cheerful as he remembered.

He stood unremarked in a relatively quiet corner of the room and watched her with a feeling of almost paternal pride. For a moment, her eyes met his and she gave him a smile and a small wave. The diamond on her hand caught the light.

She was happy, he knew. Her political career was doing very well, and she was engaged to a wonderful man whose name Harry couldn't quite remember. Greg, or Craig, or something.

"Still thinking about old times?" came a sudden voice from beside him.

Harry smiled and turned towards Dan. "I seem to be doing a lot of that lately," he admitted. "You?"

Dan's eyes drifted in Christine's direction, and Harry thought he saw wistfulness in the other man's eyes. He had no idea how far things had got between Dan and Christine; to be perfectly honest, he didn't really want to know. He only hoped the two had remained friends afterwards.

"I'm happy for her," Dan said at last.

"Yeah."

"So," Dan continued, snagging them both fresh glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. "What do you suppose Mr. Perfect's got that we don't?"

Harry snorted. "Charm? Wit? Sophistication?" There'd been a time when Harry would have wanted to have such assets, to know how to woo the fair Christine. Now, though, he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry that things hadn't worked out between them.

"To class," Dan said, lifting his drink.

"What we were always at the bottom of," Harry added, clinking his glass with Dan's.

"There you are, Dan!" A man approached them. Dan stiffened and Harry, surprised, looked over to find Judge Martin Miller approaching them.

"Forgive me for intruding," he said, his eyes on Dan, "but I was just wondering if Mr. Fielding here has had a chance to consider my business proposal."

Harry turned curious eyes on Dan, noting the oddly tight grip the man had on his glass.

"I'm afraid I haven't decided anything yet," Dan said.

Judge Miller's smile developed a harder edge. "I can't wait much longer for an answer."

"I understand, sir."

With a nod to both men, Miller turned and walked away.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked.

Dan frowned. "Nothing. I just.... Nothing."

Before Harry could inquire further, Christine herself swooped down on them, greeting both men with a warm hug. Harry congratulated his old friend, thoughts of Dan's strange behavior quickly forgotten.

***************

Harry had always loved working on Halloween night. Granted, things were interesting -- not to mention quite often bizarre -- all year round, but Halloween always seemed to have a special strangeness to it. Of course, that could have something to do with the three vampires, seven skeletons, two bearded nuns and various assorted witches who passed before his bench that evening.

All good things had to come to an end, though, and near the end of shift Harry turned to his clerk. "Last case on the docket tonight, Mike; make it a good one."

The strained expression on Mike's face surprised Harry. "What is it?" he asked.

The clerk, normally quite cheerful, held the case file in clenched fingers. "Possession, Your Honor."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Demonic?"

That got a faint smile. "No, sir; narcotic."

"Aw, shucks," Harry complained. "Here I was hoping for something interesting."

'Be careful what you wish for,' he thought a moment later when Mike cleared his throat and called out, "People versus ... Reinhold Fielding."

"Dan?" Harry gasped. Sure enough, there was his friend being led into the room, looking, quite frankly, like hell. Harry stared, trying to take in Dan's rumpled appearance, the bruise forming over one eye. For his part, Dan stood straight, his eyes fixed firmly on the wall just above Harry's head.

"How...?" he began, then stopped, trying to formulate one of the dozens of questions he wanted so very badly to ask right now. "What's going on?"

Before either of his equally shocked lawyers could answer, Dan spoke up. "Look -- We don't have to go through all the messy details here. I plead guilty on all charges."

Harry looked over at his public defender, Jane Brooke, who stared helplessly back at him. "Any objections?" he asked. He wasn't surprised when none were made.

"Right," he said. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, but in much less public a venue. "The defendant is found guilty of --" he stared down at the file Mike had placed in front of him, barely keeping his voice steady as he continued, "-- possession of an illegal substance and public indecency. I therefore sentence Mr. Fielding to be remanded into the Court's custody, as of now. Court is adjourned."

Dan's eyes widened as Harry finished his pronouncement. "Your Honor," he began.

"Save it, Dan. My office. Now. Or do I need Jorge to escort you?"

Dan shot a look at the bailiff, then shook his head. "I'll come quietly."

Harry held himself in check for a whole two seconds after he and Dan had entered his office before turning on his friend. "What in God's name is going on?"

Dan's face grew steely. "It's exactly what it looks like, sir," he said coldly.

"Don't 'sir' me, Dan. You, of all people.... Public indecency?"

"'Me of all people', Harry? If I've come across as prudish in all the time you've known me...."

"You know what I mean!" Harry exclaimed, exasperated. "And drugs, Dan? Drugs?"

Dan looked away. "What can I tell you?"

"The truth! And you can start now!"

"Or else?"

Harry's temper snapped. "Or else I'll ship you right back down to the holding cell."

Dan smiled mirthlessly. "Where I'd probably get exactly the sort of experience I was trying to find tonight."

Harry sighed, and waved a hand towards the couch. "Have a seat, Dan. I'll make us some coffee, and you can explain just what the hell you mean by that."

To his surprise, Dan obeyed. "I was stupid, Harry. Is that what you want to hear?"

"For starters."

Dan accepted a cup from Harry. "You know me. You know how I spend my free time -- the kind of people I spend it with. I just wanted something a little different."

Harry frowned. "Public indecency in a gay bar certainly is different. I didn't realize you swung that way."

"I don't!" Dan said. "I mean, not yet. It was my first time there; I just wanted to see what it was like."

"And the drugs?"

Dan shook his head. "Never got around to taking any. I was nervous; I thought they'd make it easier."

Now Harry was confused. "If the thought of homosexual behavior made you nervous enough to resort to drugs, why bother at all?"

"It's... complicated," Dan hedged.

Harry watched him for a long moment. "You know," he said at last, "there are probably safer ways to experiment, if that's what you're after."

"Maybe," Dan said, obviously dismissing the idea. He drained the last of his coffee. "Are we done?"

Harry knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of his friend tonight. "I guess we are. I'll give you a lift home."

"You're not ashamed to be seen in public with a deviant reprobate?"

"It's never stopped me before," Harry said wryly. "But if you're worried about it...." He went to his desk and took his Groucho glasses from the top drawer, handing them to Dan.

Without a moment's hesitation, Dan slipped them on. "Right," he said. "Tally ho."

Shaking his head fondly, Harry followed him out of the office.

***************

November passed uneventfully. Harry heard cases, spent too much time in an empty apartment, and pulled a few strings to sort out Dan's legal troubles. It was a difficult task -- Dan Fielding had surprisingly few friends left in the Court system.

"That's because Miller got to them first," Mike informed him when Harry casually mentioned this. His clerk could always be counted on to provide the best gossip.

"Judge Miller? I thought Dan got along with him. I think he was after a job in Martin's office, wasn't he?"

"Ah," said Mike wisely. "That was before Fielding's little trip through the looking glass last month. Though the word is there were problems before that."

"Didn't he want Dan working for him?" Harry asked, unsure where Mike was going with this.

"I don't think 'working' is the word for it, sir."

Harry's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"You haven't seen the guy Miller did hire, have you? He made the announcement a couple of days ago."

Harry considered Judge Miller's usual assortment of yes-men. "The blond one? Young? Pretty?"

"That's the one. Rumor has it that his portfolio is a bit more -- varied -- than Dan's."

The thought sickened Harry, though it explained quite a bit. Certainly why Dan had been forcing himself to....

Harry thanked Mike for the information and sent him home; Court was adjourned for the night, anyway. He contemplated going straight home himself, but somehow the thought of another evening alone was less than appealing. Fortunately, as he left the building, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Dan?"

Dan seemed a bit withdrawn, but didn't look surprised to see him. "Harry."

An idea came to him. "I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat. Care to join me?"

For a moment, Harry thought Dan was going to refuse, but he finally nodded. Neither man said anything until they were ensconced in the back booth of a near-by all-night diner. Harry expected Dan to make some high-brow comment about the plain menu, but he simply ordered soup and a sandwich without a fuss. Harry did the same.

As the waitress walked away, some impish part of Harry made him say, "I'm sorry you didn't get the job with Miller."

A muscle in Dan's face twitched. "Don't be. I'm not."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Dan blew out an exasperated breath. "What is it with you, Harry?" he asked cuttingly. "I've seen you maybe five times in as many years, and all of a sudden you want -- what? To be my very best friend?"

Harry took a sip of his water before answering. "How about a plain old good friend?" Seeing Dan thaw a little, Harry pressed on. "The Miller situation has something to do with why you were in that bar, doesn't it? You wanted experience so you could deal with him."

Dan's answer was cut off by the arrival of the waitress with their food. They'd both got a decent start on their soup before Dan started again. "What gave it away? The boy toy he hired instead of me?"

"Partly," Harry admitted. "What I don't understand is why you'd want to work for a creep like Miller anyway."

"Power," Dan said. "Prestige. What I've always strived for. Only, for once I suppose I've come across a price even I won't pay."

Ah, that was the problem, wasn't it? Harry felt disappointment, though it didn't negate the stirring of feelings he'd put aside long ago. "With your history, Dan -- You find the thought of sleeping with a man that repulsive?"

"I can't say the thought's never crossed my mind, over the years," Dan conceded. "I've done just about everything else. But it's always been on my terms."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, and they went back to their food. They finished their meal in silence, and as they stepped out of the restaurant into the relative calm of early-morning Manhattan, Harry's tumultuous thoughts took voice.

"I certainly don't condone what Miller did -- the guy deserves to be run over by a zamboni -- but ...." he faltered for a second. "If you're interested in experimenting... for purely personal reasons...." He trailed off in the light of Dan's incredulous stare.

"Are you serious?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess I am. For once."

"Harry...."

With a boldness that surprised him, Harry leaned into Dan until their lips were almost touching, almost, then touching, the faintest pressure. Then Dan stiffened and pulled away.

"Jesus Christ, Harry! We're in public!"

Dan was right. What in God's name was he thinking? "I'm sorry, Dan."

Dan took a deep breath. "Look, Harry. I need.... I need to think about this. I...." he turned and walked away.

"Sure, Dan," Harry said softly to his friend's retreating back.

***************

Harry had definitely spent happier Christmas Eves. In the past, he'd been surrounded by friends, family, a few former lovers. But now.... He looked around his dim apartment, at the few strands of tinsel he'd strewn around the place in a half-hearted attempt to make it look festive. He took a long sip from his drink -- far too much rum in far too little eggnog -- and wondered idly whether he should turn off his stereo, which had been playing Mel Torme's "Christmas Song" in a continuous loop for what seemed like hours now.

He should be spending tonight with someone, he thought sadly, though he was short on options. His colleagues all had lives of their own. His family had died off with Buddy. He'd even managed to scare off the last of his friends with an impromptu kiss on a deserted street corner a few weeks earlier.

He was gearing up for a truly spectacular bout of self-pity when someone knocked on his door. Expecting to find a neighbor or two with Yuletide wishes -- old Mrs. Wiles upstairs kept insisting on plying him with fruitcake -- he was shocked to find Dan Fielding smiling sheepishly at him when he opened the door.

"I guess it'd be a tad too cliche for me to pull out some mistletoe right now, wouldn't it?"

"Dan?" Harry asked stupidly. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting to be let in," Dan suggested.

With an embarrassed start, Harry pulled the door open, ushering Dan inside. He watched, still dazed, as Dan took in the dark, barely decorated room. The song started up again, and Dan smiled.

"Ah, Mel. Quite a man."

"He even dropped the restraining order on me, before the end," Harry said, then waved that irrelevance aside. "Dan?"

Dan quirked a questioning eyebrow. "Am I intruding?" he asked. "Do you want me to go?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. Coming back to himself, he offered Dan a seat on the couch and poured him a glass of eggnog. To Dan's credit, he only made a small grimace at the taste.

"So," Dan began conversationally. "You're into guys, huh?"

Harry almost choked on his drink, but strove for calm as he answered, "From time to time."

"I'm sorry I ran out on you, before."

"I understand why you did."

"No, you don't." Dan shook his head. "It wasn't because you're a guy -- like I said, that thought's crossed my mind once or twice. It's just that, well, you're a friend. You're you."

"And that would be bad?" Harry asked softly.

"That would be different," Dan corrected.

"I thought you were looking to dry 'different'."

"So did I...." Dan looked lost.

Harry put aside his drink and joined the other man on the couch. "We could try it and see."

He moved in for a kiss, but Dan placed a restraining hand on Harry's chest. "Harry -- Why me? Why now?"

There were a number of reasons he could give, many of which Harry was only beginning to admit to himself. "Because I like you. Because you're my friend. Because I'm lonely."

Dan removed his hand. "I can live with that," he said with a smile, and drew Harry close.

***************

Harry woke to a strange mixture of sensations -- hunger, satisfaction, and an urgent need to pee. First things first, though. He looked over at Dan, not surprised to find him already awake and watching Harry, a fond expression on his face.

"Merry Christmas," Harry said.

"Same to you."

"So," Harry ventured, stretching a little. "That was..."

"Different."

"Different in a good way?"

Dan paused thoughtfully. "Well, I can't honestly say that it was the most mind-blowing sex I've ever had."

Harry couldn't quite muster up the energy to whap Dan with his pillow; instead, he just said, "Oh?"

"Mm," Dan replied, a glint of laughter in his eyes. "Though it was definitely the most ... satisfying."

Harry grinned. "I can live with that," he said, before pulling Dan in for a kiss.

THE END

 

 

 


End file.
